"The commotion over there is massive," Meiser remarked, glancing at the distant tower.
He had witnessed Zoro's battle firsthand.
There was no denying it—Zoro's swordsmanship was truly formidable. Even that so-called legendary swordsman was no match for him.
"What are you looking at?"
Oars curiously followed Meiser's gaze but saw nothing unusual.
"Nothing much. Just checking on my crewmates' fights," Meiser replied.
Zoro's battle had already ended, so it was time for him to pick up the pace.
With that thought, Meiser swept his eyes over the Grass Sword at his waist and drew it in one swift motion.
Clang—
The gleaming edge of the blade immediately caught Oars' attention.
"Whoa... that's one cool sword!"
How had he not noticed such an awesome weapon hanging at Meiser's side earlier?
"Impressive, right?" Meiser grinned. "This is the famous Grass Sword—it can channel Chakra and amplify its wielder's abilities."
Thanks to the Expansion Technique, the sword had grown along with him!
Truly, the Akimichi Clan's Secret Techniques were something else.
Oars tilted his head, blinking in confusion before scratching his scalp. "Huh?"
Clearly, this simple-minded giant hadn't understood a word Meiser said.
What was this "Chakra" thing? And what about the sword?
"What I mean is... I'm about to use it to cut you down!" Meiser flashed a sharp grin. "Better watch yourself, big guy!"
Oars frowned at that. If his opponent had a weapon, he was at a disadvantage without one.
He began scanning the area for something he could use, but nothing suitable came to mind.
"Hold on, let me just—"
"Who said anything about waiting?!"
Meiser roared, charging forward and swinging his massive blade with full force.
"Damn it!"
Oars bellowed, raising his right arm to block the strike.
Clang!
"Huh?"
"Your bones are that tough?"
Meiser's expression shifted as he stared at Oars, who had effortlessly stopped his attack. He hadn't expected the Grass Sword to fail against him.
"Seems like without Wind Style Chakra enhancing it, the sword's power drops significantly..." Meiser muttered.
"Huh? Weird... that didn't hurt at all," Oars mused, eyeing Meiser as if puzzled by his ineffective strike.
"Don't get cocky." Meiser retracted the blade. "I've got other tricks."
The moment he spoke, he thrust the sword straight toward Oars' chest!
Again, Oars raised his arm to block—but this time, it didn't work.
The razor-sharp Grass Sword pierced through part of his arm muscle, slipped between his ribs, and impaled him clean through!
Then, with a powerful kick, Meiser sent Oars crashing onto his back, pinning him to the ground with the sword.
Staring down at the immobilized giant, Meiser smirked. "The same move won't work twice, Oars."
As he spoke, his gaze flickered toward the seaside.
"Alright. Time to get to work."
"Even though you're a zombie and won't die from being chopped to pieces... if I throw you into the sea, purifying you would have the same effect."
During the earlier battle, Meiser had tried to drive this guy toward the shore, but Oars' strength was formidable—it wasn't something he could accomplish easily.
So, Meiser changed his approach, deciding to try a different method.
"The sea?"
"No way, I'm a landlubber..." Oars paused mid-sentence, then lowered his head and muttered, "Huh?!"
"Am I a landlubber?"
He vaguely remembered being a landlubber, but then again, maybe not...
Meiser's lips twitched in irritation. There had to be a limit to this stupidity, damn it!
With a cold snort, Meiser set his sights on Oars' legs.
"Hey, what are you planning?" Oars asked, instinctively tightening his legs when he noticed Meiser's unsettling gaze.
"Of course, I'm going to break your legs first," Meiser replied. "To keep you from thrashing around, I made sure to pin you to the ground."
As he spoke, Meiser raised his long leg. "First, I'll break your legs, then toss you into the sea to be purified."
With Oars pinned down like this, snapping his legs would be child's play!
"Dammit, let me go!" Oars shouted, struggling to get up. But with Meiser holding him down, he couldn't even stand.
"Keep dreaming!"
With that, Meiser aimed a vicious stomp at Oars' joints, intending to shatter his legs.
Even if this stomp didn't break them outright, it would at least deal significant damage to the joints!
Just then, a shadow surged forward, transforming in an instant into an enormous black curtain.
"Shadow Curtain!!"
"Whoosh—"
"CRASH!!"
Meiser's foot slammed into the shadow, distorting and warping it until it finally shattered.
But thanks to the cushioning effect, Oars' legs remained intact.
Recognizing the familiar shadow, Meiser frowned. "Moria?"
"Gehihihihi! Can't let you wreck my Oars like that!"
"Gehihihihi!"
Moria appeared nearby, laughing heartily as he watched Meiser, his gaze growing increasingly pleased.
"What's with that look?" Meiser snapped. "And what did you do to Luffy?!"
Luffy had gone after this guy, but now Moria was here... Did that mean Luffy had been defeated?
Meiser's peripheral vision flicked to Oars—still alive and kicking, which meant Luffy wasn't dead.
Good, as long as he's alive!
"Dammit, let me go!!"
"Stay down!" Meiser barked, stomping on Oars to pin him firmly to the ground.
"Gehihihihi, so violent," Moria remarked. "Don't worry, your captain's fine."
"As for where that guy is, I don't know—I couldn't find him either."
Earlier, he had searched the forest for any sign of the Straw Hat Boy but came up empty-handed, much to his frustration.
Then, he noticed his precious Oars was getting beaten badly by Meiser, so he rushed over here first.
The outcome was Oars being pinned to the ground by Meiser, even about to have his legs broken, forcing Moria to intervene.
"Couldn't find him..."
Meiser glanced in the direction where Luffy had just disappeared—the temporary base built by Lola and her group was that way... Could Luffy have been taken by them?
Otherwise, given Luffy's personality, he'd definitely be shouting through the forest searching for Moria's trail.
Heh, seems like Luffy might give that fat garlic head a surprise later.
"Kid, I came to ask you one thing," Moria said, looking up at Meiser. "Will you become my subordinate?"
"If you join my crew, I'm willing to release your friends' Shadows and let them leave safely."
"And don't worry—I won't treat you as a tool. I'll genuinely care for you."
Moria's expression was utterly serious as he spoke these words.
He meant it. If Meiser joined his crew, he'd treat him like family.
"You, who love playing with Zombies, actually care about subordinates?" Meiser mocked.
Moria fell silent for a moment before letting out a self-deprecating laugh. "You might not believe it, but it's precisely because I care about my subordinates that I'm so obsessed with creating Zombies."
After what happened years ago, Moria never wanted to see comrades die before him again.
That's why, all these years later, only three living people remained by his side.
As for Zombies—even if they were destroyed, they could always be remade. So he felt no loss.
Taking a deep breath, Moria added, "I'm telling the truth. You can even ask Perona and the others."
"That little Ghost girl..."
An image of the girl surfaced in Meiser's mind. From her behavior, she seemed like nothing more than a mischievous brat with no real bloodlust.
Meiser pondered—her personality was likely because Moria had sheltered her too well, possibly even raising her like a daughter.
But... none of this was reason enough to convince him!
"What's your answer?"
"I refuse!"
"Refuse?!" Moria was stunned. "I'm one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea, and you won't even think it over before rejecting me?"
His expression darkened as he glared into Meiser's eyes. "Kid, you do know the consequences of refusing me, right?"
"I'm giving you one last chance—"
"Save it, Moria," Meiser cut him off. "A man who's lost his ambition has no right to speak to me like this."
"In my eyes, you're far inferior to Luffy."
"Light-years behind!"
"You bastard! Where is that brat better than me?!" Moria snapped, as if provoked. "Just some rookie with a 400 million Bounty—how dare you say I'm worse?!"
"A coward who's lost his spirit—how could you even compare to Luffy?"
Meiser's eyes flashed as he roared, "MORIA!"
"LUFFY IS THE MAN WHO WILL BECOME THE KING OF THE PIRATES!!"
Meiser's voice carried far across the island, reaching almost everyone present.
The members of the Straw Hat Pirates all grinned when they heard these words because... this was something they all agreed with!
"Pirate King...?"
Standing atop the high tower, Kuma looked at Meiser, who had shouted those words, and suddenly laughed.
Dragon's son... truly has found some remarkable comrades.
"Pirate King?" Sick glanced incredulously at the colossal figure and instinctively asked, "Big Bro Straw Hat Boy, is he talking about you...?"
"Yeah, that's me."
"I'm gonna be the Pirate King!" Luffy declared with absolute confidence.
After saying this, Luffy, transformed into his dream-like state, instantly vanished from his spot.
Clearly, he had gone to Meiser's side to find Moria.
"Hey, wait for us to go together—"
"You guys head to the building to find the marriage-seeking woman. Leave this place to us."
Hearing Luffy's brimming confidence, the group exchanged glances and muttered, "What do we do? Listen to him?"
"Big Bro Meiser said earlier that we should stay here..."
"Idiot! Big Bro Meiser said we're staying to protect these Shadows!"
"But now the Shadows are already with Big Bro Straw Hat Boy. Staying here is pointless."
"Then we—"
"Of course, we go find the captain! Don't stay here and get in the way of the two big bros!"
If they lingered, they might interfere with the battle.
Even though the two colossal figures weren't heading this way now, Sick knew exactly why.
Big Bro Meiser had repeatedly stepped in, forcefully driving that giant back!!
Otherwise, who knew if that behemoth would come charging over?
With a height of dozens of meters, a single step could crush them flat.
"Let's go!"
"Right!"
"Pi... Pirate King...?"
Moria's body staggered back uncontrollably, as if struck by some invisible blow.
In his opponent's eyes, was he truly so worthless, while that Straw Hat Boy was destined to become the Pirate King?
At this thought, an uncontrollable rage erupted from Moria's heart.
"Brat, since you refuse, don't blame me for being ruthless!!"
If his offer was rejected, then there was nothing left to say.
Today, he would personally crush this arrogant brat who didn't know his place!!
With a cold snort, Moria's Shadow twisted before darting into Oars' belly with a whoosh—a sight that even left Meiser momentarily stunned.
"Shadow Dancer!"
"Whoosh!"
In an instant, Moria on the ground was replaced by his Shadow.
Seeing this, Meiser immediately understood—this was the trick Moria had used to deceive him earlier.
And now... had he fled into Oars' stomach?
"So that's it... special modifications, huh?" Meiser sneered. "But too bad—Oars can't protect you!"
As he spoke, Meiser raised his arm and delivered a crushing punch downward.
"Shadow Spear!!"
The Shadow on the ground morphed into a slender spear, shooting straight for Meiser's lower body.
"Bastard!"
Meiser's pupils contracted as he instinctively pulled back, quickly putting distance between them.
After confirming he was unharmed, Meiser opened his shark-like mouth and cursed, "Moria, you bastard, playing dirty tricks?!"
When he was fighting Oars, he hadn't even aimed for that spot. Yet Moria, this bastard, resorted to underhanded tactics?!
As Meiser retreated, the Grass Sword embedded in Oars began to shrink like a deflating balloon.
Feeling the pressure lift, Oars immediately scrambled to his feet.
"Ooooh!"
"Freedom at last!"
"Gehihihihi!"
The special cloth on Oars' stomach suddenly opened, revealing Moria sitting inside—clearly, this was a pre-prepared tactical position!
After manipulating his own shadow to merge with Oars', Moria sneered, "Kid, what do you think a pirate's battle is about?"
"As long as you win, any method is fair game!"
Losing his pride?
Being called a coward?
Did any of that matter?
As long as he could defeat his enemies, as long as he could amass more powerful Zombies, as long as... he could defeat Kaido!!
If it meant avenging his fallen comrades by killing that bastard, he'd gladly descend into hell!!
At this moment, Moria's eyes were bloodshot, his expression bordering on madness.
"You're right. A pirate's fight should be exactly like that," Meiser said darkly. "The method doesn't matter."
Just like a Ninja's mission—only the kill mattered, not the process.
"Whoosh—"
As Meiser spoke, the sword lodged in Oars was flung away, shrinking midair back to its original size.
"Brat, I don't know what's up with that sword, but... without a weapon, you're no match for us!"
"Go, Oars! Crush him!"
"Why should I—"
Oars' words abruptly cut off as his expression twisted.
"That voice... Master? Is that you?"
"That's right, it's me! Gehihihihi!" Moria cackled triumphantly. "So you finally recognize me."
"Kill him, Oars!"
Clearly, Oars' excess memories had vanished—now he was nothing but Moria's loyal servant.
This change delighted Moria beyond measure.
"Understood, Master!" Oars roared. "I'll destroy him!"
"ROAR!!"
"Memories erased, huh..." Meiser muttered.
So this was how Moria secured his obedient Zombie subordinates. After some time, the Shadows forgot their past, becoming utterly devoted.
Glancing at the Grass Sword about to hit the ground, Meiser narrowed his eyes. "Guess I'll have to fight in base form..."
Before he could finish, a figure shot from the distance, snatching the weapon midair with precision.
Then, landing behind Oars, he bellowed, "One-Sword Style: Rhino Slash!!"
"CLANG!!"
The sheer force of the blow sent Oars staggering to his knees, his body lurching uncontrollably toward Meiser.
"MEISER!!" Luffy shouted.
Glancing at the Luffy floating mid-air, Meiser paused for a moment before grinning as if realizing something.
"Understood, Captain!"
Luffy's current state was likely due to Sick's Shadow... That blue-skinned appearance made him look just like a nightmare.
Then... let's call him Nightmare Luffy!!
Watching Oars approach closer, Meiser raised his right arm, muscles bulging.
"Moria, let me show you the bond between us!"
"Recruit me?"
"Maybe in your next life!"
"BAM!!"
An incredibly heavy fist slammed hard into Oars' chin, sending the giant flying through sheer force.
At that moment, Luffy stretched his arm to grab Meiser from afar, catapulting himself onto Meiser's shoulder.
After glancing at Oars soaring through the air, Meiser and Luffy exchanged looks before bursting into laughter:
"Let's go together, Luffy!"
"Right!"
"Bastards!!"
Inside Oars' body, Moria's face twisted with rage. What were these two doing? Putting on some kind of friendship performance?
"Oars!!"
"Sorry Master, I can't move!!"
"Dammit..."
Hearing Oars' helplessness, Moria's expression darkened.
Soon, gravity took effect, and Oars began descending from the sky. This caused Moria to gradually float upward, forcing him to grab his seat to avoid being thrown out by Oars' movement.
"In that case, I'll just have to..."
Before Moria could finish, two figures—one large, one small—appeared mid-air.
"You!!"
Denying Moria any chance to speak, Meiser and Luffy each delivered a powerful punch to Oars' body!
"Violence Homerun!"
"BAM!!"
The overwhelming force of their combined attack sent the massive body flying toward the sea.
Inside Oars, Moria turned pale as the ocean grew nearer.
"Damn you!!"
Hearing Moria's roar, the two in mid-air exchanged glances before laughing heartily.
"Taste that? That's our Combined Ultimate Technique!"
"Hahahaha."
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